PSA is a series of twelve Public Service Announcement-style videos about the mechanisms of government and civic understanding. In their research-based approach, Los Angeles-based artist and filmmaker Pau S. Pescador conducted a series of recorded interviews and discussions with educators, government representatives, and members of the public to examine how citizens are served by government. The result is informational and revelatory, as Pescador uncovers a range of public knowledge about our government systems. The short videos are produced in a variety of animation styles, each less than ten minutes in length. They represent a collage of dialogue with different stakeholders, as well as the artist’s own experience of moving through the world as a fellow member of the public.
Special thanks to the PSA research participants:
Robert Banks, Maura Brewer, Asha Bukojemsky, Helen Campbell, York Chang, Nateene Diu, Vyki Englert, Benjamin Farnsworth, Elaine Kahn, Rochele Gomez, Asuka Hisa, Umi Hsu, Christopher Mangum-James, Hunter Owens, Linda Theung, Tatiana Vahan, Anuradha Vikram, and three anonymous participants.
Paul Pescador (b. 1983) is a trans-nonbinary artist who works in film, photography, and performance. Select exhibitions and screenings include Biquini Wax, Mexico City; Deslave, Tijuana; LADRÓNgalería, Mexico City; UV Estudios, Buenos Aires; 5 Car Garage; 18th Street Art Center; Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena; Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro; Human Resources; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Main Museum; The Pit; LAND at The Gamble House; Park View; X-tra Online; all within Los Angeles County. Select performances include Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University, Orange; LADRÓNgalería, Mexico City; Performa New York; University of California, BerkeleyDurham Studio Theater; Los Angeles Contemporary Archives; Machine Projects; PAM Residencies; Hammer Museum (with KCHUNG TV); REDCAT; and ForYourArt at 6020 Wilshire Blvd. Their first collection of writing, CRUSHES: A NOVELLA, was published by Econo Textual Objects in Spring 2017. They received a BA from the University of Southern California and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine.